Research News-January 30, 2007

Research News Introduction

Monday Memo Becomes Research News and Goes to a Monthly Schedule

As research funding becomes more constrained, compliance with sponsor deadlines, formats, content specifications, and other requirements for new applications, continuations and reports is growing in importance. We urge you to keep current with changes in these areas, which are often announced without regard to any obvious calendar, as are new funding opportunities. For those reasons, we have streamlined and reformatted Monday Memo; after today it will be issued monthly on the second Tuesday under the title Research News, to put information about these matters at the top -- except for this issue, where we are pleased to announce additional leadership for campus multidisciplinary research efforts through the appointment of a new Associate Vice President for Research. In addition, this electronic bulletin can now be printed in a more efficient fashion in case you wish to have a permanent paper record of its contents. Please share your comments and suggestions with us for further improvements.

New Associate Vice President for Research

Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Michael Hadjiargyrou has been appointed the Associate Vice President for Research, and will continue Martin Schoonen’s work of organizing and promoting multidisciplinary research among colleagues on and off campus. In addition to assessing the continuing need for groups already established in Nanoscience and Engineering, Obesity, Sensors, Astrobiology, and Biocomplexity, Professor Hadjiargyrou will explore interest in creating groups in other areas, for example, stem cell research -- particularly if there are indications in tomorrow's announcement of Governor Spitzer's Executive Budget Request that there will be a state initiative in this area -- please let him know if you would like to participate in any of these groups or would like to propose an additional group. Professor Hadjiargyrou received bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in molecular biology, with an additional undergraduate concentration in philosophy, from CUNY and pursued postdoctoral work in cellular and molecular biology at Caltech. He has been at Stony Brook since 1996 and his current research on the molecular mechanisms underlying the fracture repair process focuses on identifying ideal gene candidates for possible therapeutic intervention through the use of biomaterials.

Essential Policy and Procedure Updates

New OSP Proposal Submission Website

Due to the growing number of electronic proposal submissions and the need for faculty to transmit extremely large proposal files to the Office of Sponsored Programs, a website is now up and running to facilitate this transmission. The website is: http://www.stonybrook.edu/proposalsosp
(please note that the web address is case sensitive and should be accessed using all lower case letters)

The process is simple. Submitters access this website, provide pertinent information (so that OSP can identify the proposal and have contact information), attach their full proposal files where indicated and hit the “submit” button. Office of Sponsored Programs staff can access the proposal information and all attachments quickly and easily. 

Reminder: full proposals and all required completed campus forms should be submitted five business days before the sponsor deadline. Questions regarding the use of this website can be addressed to your Sponsored Programs Coordinator or Contracts Administrator.

NIH/AHRQ Transition to Electronic Applications Update

NIH/AHRQ Confirms Plans to Transition the G7, G8, G11, G13, G20, S11, S21 and S22 to Electronic Applications and Announces Delay in Transition of K, F, T and Complex Grant Programs Confirming May 25 Transition Plans.

The research community is reminded that the following grant programs will transition to electronic submission using the SF424 (R&R) form through Grants.gov for applications intended for the May 25, 2007 submission date and beyond:

• Resource Program (G7, G8, G11, G13, G20)
• Minority Biomedical Research Support Thematic Project Grant (S11)
• Research and Institutional Resources Health Disparities Endowment Grants – Capacity Building (S21)
• Research and Student Resources Health Disparities Endowment Grants – Educational Programs (S22)

ALL applications in response to announcements for these grant programs must be submitted electronically (i.e., paper-based PHS 398 applications will not be accepted). Applications previously submitted in paper that are being resubmitted as amended applications must now use electronic submission via Grants.gov using the SF424 (R&R) forms. 

Announcing Delay for Subsequent Transitions

The change to electronic applications for grant programs currently targeted to transition after May 2007, including Career Development (K), Fellowship (F), Training & Development (T&D) and complex mechanisms will be delayed. NIH, AHRQ and Grants.gov are working together to establish new transition dates for these grant programs. A notice announcing the adjusted dates and timeline will be issued as soon as possible.

The following resources continue to be available for assistance in the electronic submission of grant applications to NIH through Grants.gov:
General Information:
http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/oer.htm
http://www.ahrq.gov/path/egrants.htm

New NIH Salary Caps

NIH is operating under an FY07 Continuing Resolution (CR), which applies the terms of NIH’s FY06 appropriation. The FY06 Appropriation Act (PL 109-149) restricts the amount of direct salary to the “Executive Level 1” level, as determined by the federal executive pay scale.

Effective as of January 1, 2007, the salary limitation for Executive Level 1 is $186,600. Despite the fact that NIH is operating under the CR, the $186,600 level represents official NIH policy. NIH will make no adjustments to previously established commitment levels for non-competing awards to cover increased salary levels.

The link can be found at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-07-033.html

Fringe Benefit Update

An updated fringe benefit memo with current rates has been posted to the OVPR web site. It can be found at: http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/spo/fbrate.pdf
Please contact Sponsored Programs to budget salaries for multi-year grant applications.

Extension Of NIH Pilot Study to Shorten the Review Cycle for New  Investigator R01 Applications

As part of the National Institutes of Health continuing commitment to new investigators, a pilot effort (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-013.html) was begun in 2006 to allow new investigators to have the option of submitting a resubmission/amended R01 application for consecutive review cycles, saving four months.

The Center for Scientific Review is committed to continuing this pilot for the current study sections and to the extension to all new investigator R01 applications by the end of 2007. For the February 2007 review meetings twenty-two study sections will be added to the pilot. For the June 2007 review meetings a significant number of study sections will be added (these will be identified in a NIH Guide to Grants and Contracts Notice at a later date), and by the October 2007 meetings all study sections reviewing new investigator R01 applications submitted for standard receipt dates (this does not include RFAs and PARs with special dates) will meet on a schedule to allow consecutive cycle resubmissions.

The full Notice can be found at: 
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-07-034.html

NIH Response to Flat FY 2007 Budget

Fiscal Operations Plan Notice

Faced with a markedly increased number of applications and applicants for grant support at a time of flat budgets with no inflationary adjustments, NIH is taking immediate proactive steps in FY2007 to manage its portfolio of investments in biomedical research. NIH is committed to buttressing core areas of vulnerability, such as the ability of new investigators to compete for support in these difficult financial times, and protecting investment in well established investigators with little or no other significant support. In addition, NIH is adjusting the number of competing Research Project Grants (RPG) that will be awarded, with the goal of stabilizing to the extent possible the yearly variation in number of awards that are made.

The full notice can be found online at:
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-07-030.html

Collaborative IRB Training Initiative Site Up and Running

The recently distributed 2006 Update to CORIHS-Approved Investigators informed us that the SBU site for our Collaborative IRB Training Initiative (CITI) web-based program was undergoing reconfiguration to meet the growing educational needs of our investigators, and to take full advantage of new module sets that are available from the CITI organization.

The reconfiguration is now complete although further "tweaking" is expected.  Some examples of the change:

Social behavioral scientists will now have SBS-specific modules to train on, regardless of past training levels, if you have completed prior training through SBU.  These new modules will address concerns of a "biomedical" bias in past training.

Biomedical scientists will now have their training divided along 2 tracks, depending on the type of research you do. If you conduct biomedical research that is not under the jurisdiction of the FDA, your educational series will remain unchanged. However, if you conduct FDA-regulated research, you will now be required to take a modules series on Good Clinical Practice. Although the GCP series is required at a specific 'higher' training level, it is recommended that you take it at some time during your current certification period. E-mail our staff once you complete the GCP training, to 'reset the clock' so that you will be certified to conduct clinical research for an additional three years from the date of that series completion.  

As web-based training certainly has its limitations, ORC conducts workshops that will count as "refresher courses" for your certification. These workshops require the attendance of at least 25 investigators.  Please contact the Office of Research Compliance at 632-9036 if you would like to arrange such a workshop. Also, the ORC staff is always available to meet with you to discuss your specific questions and needs relating to your clinical research endeavors. The ORC phone # is 632-9036, and the office is located on the Main Campus, Melville Library 5th floor, Suite W5520.

Presentation: How to do Clinical Research at Stony Brook

At the January 23, 2007 SOM Faculty Senate meeting, the Office of the Vice President for Research participated in a presentation on "How to do Clinical Research at Stony Brook University". The presenters included Dr. Gail Habicht, Vice President for Research, Mr. Ivar Strand, Assistant Vice President for Research, Ms. Judy Matuk, Director, Office of Research Compliance, and Ms. Leigh Gentilcore, Clinical Trials Administrator. A link to the powerpoint presentation can be found here.

Research Foundation Independent Contractor Form

In an effort to accommodate project directors' needs in paying various types of nonemployees from research funds, the Office of Grants Management, the Procurement Office and the Office of Human Resources collaboratively initiated the following modifications to the Research Foundation's Independent Contractor form:

The top of the form now offers a selection of payment choices allowing project directors and administrators to identify the type of individual receiving payment from research funds. Simply choose the appropriate classification when completing the form. The four classifications now available are: Independent Contractor, Lecturer, Candidate and Conference Participant.

In the "Citizen Status" section of the IC form, the following has been added to the "Resident Alien" check box: "(Copy of Permanent Resident card required)"

The revised IC form can be located on the Forms website here.

Questions regarding the revised Research Foundation Independent Contractor form may be directed to the Office of Grants Management at 2-9038.

Business vs. Moving Expense Mileage Rates

Reminder, moving expense reimbursements paid to an employee as a hire incentive may require tax withholding and is reportable on an employee W-2 Wage and Tax Statement. Mileage reimbursement rates for the move are also different than typical business mileage reimbursement rates. More info can be found on the RF website here.

If you have any questions on account payable system processing or travel reimbursements contact Tania Boomhower: Tania.Boomhower@rfsuny.org

The University DNA Sequencing Facility has Moved

The DNA Sequencing Facility has been relocated to HSC T-8, 047B, site of the previous University Microscopy Imaging Center. All DNA samples will be accepted at this new location. The new laboratory location places DNA Sequencing alongside DNA Microarray and Bioinformatics Cores, thereby providing a single point-of-contact designed to facilitate genetic analysis studies.

Funding Opportunities

NCRR Shared Instrument Grant (SIG) Program

The NCRR Shared Instrument Grant (SIG) program solicits applications from groups of NIH-supported investigators to purchase or upgrade commercially available instruments that cost at least $100,000. The maximum award is $500,000. Types of instruments supported include confocal and electron microscopes, biomedical imagers, mass spectrometers, DNA sequencers, biosensors, cell sorters, X-ray diffraction systems, and NMR spectrometers, among others. This funding opportunity will use the NIH S10 mechanism. The NCRR intends to commit approximately $43 million in FY2008 to fund approximately 125 new awards.

Applications are due March 21. The complete announcement can be found at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-07-105.html

Applications for the 2008 Empire Clinical Research Investigators Program (ECRIP) Now Being Accepted

The program is open to MDs, PhDs and allied health care professionals interested in patient-oriented clinical research, epidemiological and behavioral studies, outcomes research and health services research. Upon successful completion of the formal didactic training program, participants will receive an Advanced Certificate in Clinical Research. Credits earned in the didactic training portion of the program may also be applied towards a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree with a concentration in Evaluative Sciences. The deadline for submission of a research proposal to the GCRC Advisory Committee, detailing the area of interest, data, methodology, expected outcomes and sponsor/mentor information is March 9, 2007. The ECRIP Fellowship begins July 1, 2008. Details concerning this program can be found on the New York State Department of Health's GME website at:
http://www.nyhealth.gov/nysdoh/gme/main
--Contributed by: Marjorie Lundgren, Program Coordinator 6-9004 or mlundgren@notes.cc.sunysb.edu

Packard Foundation Fellowships in Science and Engineering

The David and Lucille Packard Foundation has invited President Kenny to nominate two young faculty members in the natural sciences or engineering disciplines for the Foundation’s Fellowship Program. Candidates must be in the first three years of their faculty careers (appointments which began no earlier than May 31, 2004 and no later than May 31, 2007).

To assist the President in the nomination process, the Office of the Vice President for Research invites candidates to submit a copy of the materials listed below to Mr. Peter Saal, OVPR Research Resources Center, W-5510 Melville Library, by 12 Noon, February 20, 2007. Nomination materials should consist of:

(a) current curriculum vitae of the candidate;
(b) research Statement (see attached guidelines);
(c) letter of nomination from the Department Chair (see below);
(d) names and addresses of three individuals outside the
         University who are familiar with the nominee’s work.
        
Chairs letters are a critical component of the evaluation process. We would further ask Chairs to include copies of letters of recommendation furnished on behalf of the candidate while they were under consideration for appointment to the faculty. Information on the three external references should also be included in the nominee’s dossier.

Clinical Scholars Program Deadline

The application deadline for 2007 Clinical Scholars is rapidly approaching. Interested persons should submit their applications by February 1, 2007. Candidates with an M.D., D.P.H., D.O., D.D.S., D.M.D., O.D., D.C., Pharm.D., N.D. (Doctor of Naturopathy), Ph.D., Psy.D., as well as epidemiologists, behavioral scientists, and nurses with doctoral degrees or equivalent and at the junior faculty or post-doctoral level will be considered for 75% of their allowable institutional salary plus a supplement for research, up to a cap of $100,000 per year, while participating in a 2 year clinical research training program. For the purpose of this initiative, "clinical research" refers to all aspects and kinds of clinical research including, for example, epidemiology and natural history studies, translational research, patient-oriented research, clinical trials, and outcomes research.

The first year will contain a substantial didactic component consonant with rigorous clinical research training through the K-30 program.

The subsequent year would be mainly clinical research with 2 Mentors (Primary and Secondary) from different scientific disciplines, e.g. epidemiology, statistics, pharmacology, biology, and psychology. The Primary Mentor must be recognized as an independent investigator, be actively involved in clinical research and demonstrate a successful track record of mentoring and providing research training and career development of a type expected in this program.

Inquiries about the Clinical Scholars Program should be directed to:
Richard Clark, MD
Director, Clinical Research Scholar Training Program
Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Dermatology and Medicine
HSC T-16, 060
Stony Brook, NY 11794-8165
richard.clark@stonybrook.edu

Center for Biotechnology 2007 Innovative Technology Development (ITD) Program

The ITD Program supports commercially promising, translational research in all areas of medical biotechnology, including research products, diagnostics, or therapeutics. Funding is available to faculty at SBU for translational research on the academic campus. Applications must provide matched funding from a New York State company, evidence for commercialization potential, and be consistent with the Centers’ mission of economic development in NYS. We encourage projects in collaboration with the Center’s Applied Bioscience Laboratories (ABL) or Custom Microarray Facility (CMF).

Faculty or companies with interest or considering application, are strongly encouraged to contact Dr. Anil Dhundale, Director, Scientific Affairs (anil.dhundale@sunysb.edu, or 631-632-8443), prior to writing a full proposal. Application forms can be downloaded from the Center's web site at:
http://www.biotech.sunysb.edu/techDev/ITD/index.html

The deadline for receipt of proposals is 4PM, Friday, February 9, 2007.

SUNY Conversations in the Disciplines Program

Provost and Vice Chancellor Risa Palm (SUNY Central) has issued the annual call for proposals for the 2007-2008 cycle of the Conversations in the Disciplines program.

The Conversations program "funds intercampus conferences which bring together State University faculty and visiting scholars to examine new trends, review promising findings, and better acquaint themselves with professional developments in their fields and on other campuses. By such interchange, both the professional and personal growth of individuals and the programs of instruction and research at participating campuses are enhanced."

All applications must be received at SUNY Central by April 6, 2007. The Original plus 11 paper copies should be submitted through your Office of Sponsored Programs Coordinator.

Further information and application forms may be found at:
http://www.suny.edu/provost/facultyawards.cfm

Questions may be directed to Dr. A. Jennifer Clarke at 518-443-5865 or by e-mail at: a.jennifer.clarke@suny.edu

Upcoming Funding Opportunities

For a complete list of upcoming deadlines, please go to -
http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/fndopp/deadlcal.html

News and Events

Events

March 10-11: "33rd Annual Northeast Bioengineering Conference"

The conference, "Engineering Innovations in Life Sciences & Healthcare," will be organized and hosted on campus by the Department of Biomedical Engineering. For more information, a schedule of activities and to register please go to the conference website at:
http://bme.sunysb.edu/NEBMES2007/

Summer Sessions 2007 – Enrollment Begins April 18

Session I: Tuesday, May 29 – Monday, July 9
Session II: Tuesday, July 10 – Friday, August 17
Visit www.stonybrook.edu/summer for important information regarding deadline dates and course listings.

News

Nanocomputing: Closer Than It Appears

On January 16, The New York Times reported the announcement by Hewlett Packard that its researchers have developed test computer chips capitalizing on a concept proposed a year ago in Nanotechnology ("CMOL FPGA: a reconfigurable architecture for hybrid digital circuits with two-terminal nanodevices") by postdoc Dmitri Strukov and Professor Konstantin Likharev, Physics and Astronomy, for a hybrid device overlaying a mesh of molecular-scale nanowires on top of a conventional chip circuit. The HP researchers, in Palo Alto, applied this concept to FPGA (field programmable gate array) circuits, which could potentially be built at a tenth of their current size. HP hopes to have a prototype within a year. Professor Likharev noted that the potential impact of this work could be to "extend Moore’s Law by 10 to 15 years," referring to one of the formulations of an observation by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore regarding the physical limit imposed on the number of transistors that could be fit onto the most complex chips by the prospect of unreliable electric currents when the circuit dimensions drop below definable points.

Underground Revelations

Professor Chang Kee Jung, Physics and Astronomy, was featured in the Dec. 24 issue of Newsday for his work as chief spokesperson for a national consortium, including Stony Brook, that was selected by NSF (one of two competing proposals) to develop a site and conceptual design for an underground research facility deep down a Colorado mine. The Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) would be the first of its kind and would provide researchers with a unique space where revolutionary advances in science and engineering, from neutrino research to geophysical imaging, would be possible.

Can You Drink the Water on Mars?

A recent piece in Slate's on-line column, the "Explainer: Answers to Your Questions About the News," examined the question whether an astronaut could safely drink the water that, researchers have recently concluded, flows occasionally on the surface of Mars. Usually devoted to obscure or just plain odd topics, "Explainer" got factual information from recent Stony Brook graduate Joel Hurowitz and current Stony Brook grad student Nick Tosca—both collaborators with Scott Mclennan, Geosciences, on the recent Mars Rover missions. The two explained that for various reasons it was unlikely that water on the Martian surface would be potable or palatable. The Martian water is probably very salty because it doesn't freeze in the cold atmosphere and there is further evidence that it is very acidic—even more so than Coca-Cola, "Explainer" claims.

Physics Professor Elected Spokesperson of the PHENIX Collaboration

The Institutional Board of the PHENIX collaboration recently appointed Barbara Jacak, Physics and Astronomy, Spokesperson for a 3-year term. PHENIX is one of the two large detectors at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Lab that has produced ground-breaking research on the very nature of matter. PHENIX, with a dozen detector subsystems targeting many of the particles that emerge from the RHIC collisions, was specifically designed with unique and unprecedented capabilities for future efforts to define and characterize basic structure at the sub-atomic scale.

Researchers Measure the Stuff Dreams are Made Of

Professor Chris Jacobsen, Physics and Astronomy, and Sue Wirick and Holger Fleckenstein of his research group, were co-authors on a series of papers published in the journal Science on scientific results from the Stardust spacecraft that went to comet Wild 2 and collected dust from its tail. They contributed results of measurements of the collected material made with their x-ray microscope at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Lab.

For More Information

Gail S. Habicht is Vice President for Research. She can be reached at (631) 632-7932. An abundance of specific information for the research community is available on our Website, where past issues of this bulletin can also be found.

Office of the Vice President for Research -
http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/

Research News and Monday Memo archive - http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/monmemo/mmarchive.html

All Past issue of Research News and Monday Memo are keyword searchable.

And if you are challenged by the embarrassment of riches in the over 2,000 individual Web pages that comprise the Website, you may find the alphabetical site index helpful. The index can be accessed at - http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/sitemap.html.

If you have information you would like to contribute to Research News please email it to the editor, Adnan Rangwala, at marc.dempsey@stonybrook.edu